Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

Blurry

October 15, 2010 By Sandra Heska King

What good is speed if the brain has oozed out of the way? St. Jerome

Does that hurt your eyes?

I thought so.

It hurts mine, too.

And my head.

Now that the corn is chopped down, I can see I-69 from my “penthouse” window.

Perpetual motion.

Constant comings.

Constant goings.

When I’m yard sitting, I try not to focus in that direction.

It doesn’t belong in my “temple.”

But this morning I allowed myself to look. So many colors and styles of cars. And so many tankers and big rigs and panel trucks.

I thought about the people behind the windows. Who was in those vehicles? Where were they going? Were they safe or dangerous? What battles were they fighting? What heartaches and illness and grief and pain and fear plagued them?  Were they alone or with others? Did they have families, and if so, were they on good terms? Was Jesus riding with them? If so, was He in the back seat or driving?

It struck me that for most of my life, I’ve lived on or near a main road. I grew up on US-27 before I-75 was built. Then we moved to a house (my parents still live there) where I-75 is visible across a field.

Maybe God has things to teach me about roads and paths.

“Temple” teachings.

Anyway, I tried to snap some pictures of the traffic, but even with the action setting, I couldn’t stop the blur.

And maybe that was the point.

Sometimes our accelerators get stuck. We whiz through our days and past each other, and time goes by in a blur.

It’s time to hit the brakes, pull over to the side, and rest.

Or is this just me?

What do you think?

“Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry?
Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?”
Jeremiah 2:25a (Message)

Sharing my view with Cassandra and others today at the Moonboat Cafe.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. Dusty Rayburn says

    October 15, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    There is definitely a need to slow down in my life…always a good reminder.

    • Sandra says

      October 15, 2010 at 9:40 pm

      It’s so easy to get caught speeding. 😉

  2. mo says

    October 15, 2010 at 5:54 pm

    love that scripture 🙂

    Always loved the lyric:
    Slow down — you move too fast. Gotta make the morning last.

    • Sandra says

      October 15, 2010 at 9:42 pm

      Life I love you, all is groovy.

  3. S. Etole says

    October 15, 2010 at 6:56 pm

    That is such a great translation in the MSG Bible … good thoughts you’ve shared.

    • Sandra says

      October 15, 2010 at 9:43 pm

      🙂

  4. Cassandra Frear says

    October 15, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    Yeah, I think you should go with the road analogy. There would be a lot for you in it!

    For example, writing is like a road . . .

    • Sandra says

      October 15, 2010 at 9:39 pm

      What, you’d didn’t like my toothbrushing analogy?

  5. Susan J. Reinhardt says

    October 15, 2010 at 9:15 pm

    Hi Sandy –

    Sometimes I wonder where the years have gone. Wasn’t it yesterday I was a kid with perpetual skinned elbows and knees?

    Technology has sent my life into overdrive. You’re right. It’s time to put on the brakes, slow down, and rest.

    Blessings,
    Susan 🙂

    • Sandra says

      October 15, 2010 at 10:01 pm

      Time goes by faster and faster. Remember how the summers dragged on and on when we were kids? Lazy and hazy?

  6. Tami Heim says

    October 15, 2010 at 9:58 pm

    I am ready to pull over to the side for the weekend! Need to pick up all that has oozed out this week, but think I will sleep for a couple of days first.

    Whoosh! love you with a BIG “I”

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 9:19 pm

      I was thinking about just leaving some of my ooze.

      My I is bigger than your I.

  7. laura says

    October 15, 2010 at 11:05 pm

    I love to play that game–wondering what the people behind the masks are like. When I was a little girl we used to play in a graveyard and I would be mesmerized by the names on the stones, wondering what their story was.

    Some days I feel like that—blurred. Need a little porch-sit, a little slow down. None coming anytime soon. But we will make it, I suppose.

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 9:20 pm

      I love cemeteries! Just wandering and wondering.

  8. L.L. Barkat says

    October 16, 2010 at 9:43 am

    I like this so much. I like where the path of rest and watching is taking you.

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 9:45 pm

      I don’t know where it’s taking me. But I’m enjoying the journey. 🙂

  9. Ann Kroeker says

    October 16, 2010 at 3:12 pm

    It’s not just you…we are forever enticed to accelerate in this fast-paced world, and many people are longing to slow down or, as you say, slam on the brakes. I meet them when I speak on this topic, and I hear from them after they discover my book (Not So Fast).

    When I slow and still myself, I get a sense of what God may be trying to say to me.

    When I’m in high-speed mode, all’s a blur.

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 10:00 pm

      We’re making ourselves sick–physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We’re swallowing chunks of time without even chewing, and it’s choking the life out of us.

  10. Deidra says

    October 16, 2010 at 3:23 pm

    When my father in law was living he liked to drive the interstate. He’d look across the empty cornfields at the homes that sat way back off the road and wonder out loud, “Nan,” (that’s what he called his wife) “what do you think those people in that house are doing?” I wonder if it ever crossed his mind they might be asking the same question about him.

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 10:04 pm

      That’s what’s fun about driving at night past houses where the drapes are open. You can see what they’re doing. Which reminds me–I better go close ours.

  11. bradley j moore says

    October 16, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    Love that message translation. Just what am I after, anyway? Good question. Thanks for asking.

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 10:05 pm

      Do you have an answer?

  12. Melinda says

    October 16, 2010 at 7:52 pm

    “Sometimes our accelerators get stuck. We whiz through our days and past each other, and time goes by in a blur.

    It’s time to hit the brakes, pull over to the side, and rest.

    Or is this just me?”

    Nope…it’s not just you.

    I really enjoyed this post and am learning so much from this series, Snady.

    Hugs!

    • Sandra says

      October 17, 2010 at 10:06 pm

      Do you think we’d cause a big wreck if a bunch of us squealed to a stop at once?

      Thanks, Melinda. And hugs back to you.

  13. David@Red Letter Believers says

    October 18, 2010 at 11:42 am

    Sometimes blurry is good, when it’s things I don’t need to focus on.

    My problem is that I want to look at everything when I’m around me…and end up almost backending the car in front of me!

    http://www.RedLetterBelievers.com

  14. Sandra says

    October 18, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    Oh, I do that, too. And I’ve had near misses while I’m watching behind me to see if I’m going to be rearended.

  15. Anne Lang Bundy says

    October 19, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    I need to slow down more, behind the wheel, behind the scenes of my life. (Lord, please help me. Thank You for Snady’s words.)

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Now you see me... now you don't. Now you see me... now you don't.
"I started looking and listening. I realized that "I started looking and listening. I realized that work, like life, is shot through with poetry. It was everywhere. I was so taken with what I discovered that I wrote a book about it." @gyoung9751 
🌱
Whether you work in an office, a retail store, a restaurant, or at home... Whether you work on roads or on power lines, or on high buildings...Whether you collect trash or preach sermons, or care for your kiddos. Whether you do art, or weave words, or take photos of a common gallinule AKA moorhen AKA swamp chicken--it's all shot through with poetry.
🌱
So pay attention. Find a poem.
🌱
Read more at https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2023/01/10/its-poetry-at-work-day-2023/
Rising… Rising…
Everyone needs a little balance in life. And maybe Everyone needs a little balance in life. And maybe a beauty routine. And breakfast. Especially breakfast. I wonder if it consists of a few fire ants. I hope so. (Well, not mine. I'm having oatmeal with chia seeds. What are you having this morning?)
🌱
P.S. Happy Friday!
"Though your destination is not yet clear You can "Though your destination is not yet clear You can trust the promise of this opening; Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning That is at one with your life's desire." ~John O'Donohue 
🌿
A blessing for a new beginning in a new year. I'm sure he wrote it especially for me. At least I'm claiming it. Maybe it will speak to you, too.
🌿
Also, I'd really like this skirt --> 
🌿
Read the whole poem--> -->
🌿
Well, bummer... The whole page didn't print. Read it in the comments below.
"What precocity, a bird half the size Of an Anjou "What precocity, a bird half the size
Of an Anjou pear." ~ Stephen Kuusisto in "The Mockingbird on Central" (Find it in The Poets Guide to the Birds edited by Judith Kitchen and Ted Kooser)
🌱
"The morning pages are the primary tool of creative recovery." ~ Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way. 
🌱
I've been in a long creative drought, so I started morning pages--again. This time I've got a bit of an accountability group through @refineretreat's Refinery--which I finally also joined this year. I'll turn 74 this month. I'm not ready to grow old while I age--though everything does seem to take longer while time goes by faster.
🌱
#aweandwonder #tsaweandwonder
Tonight’s walk in the neighborhood. I’m still Tonight’s walk in the neighborhood. I’m still kinda amazed that out of all the places we could have ended up after moving from a place I said I’d never move from), here we are—planted right next to the northern Everglades. Six-plus years, and I still shake my head in wonder.
"So fancy is the world..." ~ Mary Oliver in "This "So fancy is the world..." ~ Mary Oliver in "This World." #aweandwonder #tsaweandwonder
Look, Mom! I can walk on water! #aweandwonder #tsa Look, Mom! I can walk on water! #aweandwonder #tsaweandwonder
Gazing into 2023 like… Let’s take it step by Gazing into 2023 like… 
Let’s take it step by step with hope and courage. Also I hope to be posting again more often.
🎉
Happy New Year!
The morning before the last morning of 2022. 🌴 The morning before the last morning of 2022. 
🌴
71 degrees. Heading to 83. I can live with that.
From the top of Brasstown Bald—the highest point From the top of Brasstown Bald—the highest point in Georgia at 4784 feet.
Winding roads… Winding roads…
Tonight's moon. It's kinda okay. Tonight's moon. It's kinda okay.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in